The news in brief . . .
July 3, Kentucky--An 18-month University of Kentucky study of potential profits of hemp concluded that the demand could support the cultivation of 82,000 acres of hemp in the United States.
July 7--Cannabidiol, a substance in marijuana, may be useful in protecting the mind from the damaging effect of stroke and disease, according to research done by scientists at the National Institutes of Mental Health.
July 8, Australia--Australia’s first controlled trial on treating marijuana dependence showed that users undergoing a 16-week counseling course had a much better quit rate than those given brief assistance.
July 9, New York--The Schoharie County chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws is giving $500 to the high school senior who can best answer the question: How does the war on marijuana threaten America’s constitutional democracy?
July 9, Pennsylvania--Retired Penn State professor Julian Heicklen was arrested for marijuana possession at the front gates of the Penn State campus during a 30-hour drug war demonstration. Heicklen has been arrested 5 times since January.
July 17, Texas--According to a University of Texas study comparing 17 marijuana smokers to non-smokers, using the drug may cause a higher rate of gene mutations that can trigger cancer.
July 19, Ontario--The London Cannabis Compassion Centre opened the doors to its first commercial outlet at 199 Wellington St.
July 23, California--Outspoken medical marijuana patient Todd McCormick and eight others were charged with nine counts of conspiracy and possesion of marijuana. The defendants claim they were growing the 6,000 plants for California cannabis clubs.
July 23, Florida--In his 19-page plan to win the war on drugs, Republican Gubernatorial candidate Jeb Bush proposed denying scholarships to any teenager who uses drugs.
July 24, Kentucky--The Department of Justice is asking a judge to throw out a lawsuit filed by Kentucky farmers who want to grow hemp, citing the fact that they could never have suffered since they’ve never been allowed to grow hemp anyway and even if US law were changed, Kentucky law still prohibits it.
July 24, California--A judge ruled that Orange County Cannabis Co-Op founder Marvin Chavez can’t use Proposition 215 as a defense in his trial for selling marijuana.
July 29, Ohio--A judge found Stephen Francis not guilty on charges that he mailed marijuana to an inmate at the county jail. Francis admitted to the crime, but said it was an accident. The judge agreed, citing the small amount of marijuana and the fact that Francis put his return address on the envelope.
August 2--The nation’s adult prison population topped 1.2 million in 1997, the Justice Department announced.
August 6, The Netherlands--Barry McCaffrey claimed that the liberal Dutch drug policy has created an overcrowded prison system. The Dutch corrected the drug czar, stating that 73 people out of 100,000 are in prison in The Netherlands while 645 are imprisoned in the U.S. A week earlier, McCaffrey claimed the Dutch had a huge murder rate compared to the U.S. which couldn’t have been farther from the truth.
August 7, Oklahoma--The state’s Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs has launched a new herbicide-spraying program to eradicate wild and cultivated marijuana.
August 12, Arizona--Peter Wilson, former chair of the Arizona NORML was sentenced to five years probation for possessing and selling pot. A judge had previously dismissed the charges against him because he was licensed as a marijuana dealer under a 1983 law that was repealed in 1997.
August 13, Australia--The West Australian Government has bowed to months of police pressure by announcing a cautioning system for first-time marijuana-possession offenders.
August 14, South Dakota--Some members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe are moving forward with plans to cultivate hemp after a change in tribal law that allowed for making products from hemp.
August 15, Massachusettes--Superior Court Judge Carol S. Ball ruled that the First Amendment requires the Boston Parks Department to issue a permit to the organizers of the annual Hempfest, even though organizers encourage civil disobedience of marijuana laws through public smoking.
August 15, California--DEA agents raided Dennis Peron’s marijuana farm in Lake County, chopping down 130 plants. Patients spent the weekend replanting.
August 18, Manitoba--Consolidated Growers and Processors of Canada Ltd. will have a $6 million hemp processing plant up and running by next July.
August 21, California--Calaveras County narcotics agents made the largest bust in county history, raiding a outdoor operation with 11,643 plants.